JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Both the Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department and the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office have hundreds of employees impacted by COVID-19, according to statements obtained from the department by First Coast News.
JFRD says it has 200 employees out that have either tested positive for COVID or are currently in quarantine due to exposure to the virus.
Fire officials say despite these numbers, it hasn't had an impact on fire services.
JFRD does not currently require first responders to be vaccinated, although it's strongly encouraged.
Additionally, JSO says as of Wednesday, there were 102 JSO employees positive with COVID-19. Police say the listed numbers are for both essential and non-essential employees with the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office.
Last year, the First Coast saw a rise in COVID-19 related deaths among firefighters and first responders, including the passing of JFRD Lieutenant Mario J. Moya of Rescue-42-B.
Fast-forward to 2022 and Florida once again finds itself in the midst of a surge of COVID-19 cases. This time around, the unprecedented spike is being fueled by the more transmissible, yet possibly less severe, Omicron variant.
On Tuesday, the Florida Hospital Association reported that the total number of people hospitalized who have confirmed cases of COVID-19 reached 6,623. That's an increase of 1,324 hospitalizations from Jan. 3.